Tech Briefs

September 01, 2006 |

By Matthew Phair, Contributing Editor

• Have too many software licenses? Trade 'em in! For AEC professionals and IT managers that are continually frustrated by the large number of software licenses that go unused each year, Bentley Systems has good news for you. Earlier this month, the Exton, Pa.-based software provider launched a program that allows its customers to trade in unused or underutilized software licenses. Under Bentley's Annual License Exchange program, once a year design firms will be able to exchange licenses for credit equivalent to the full purchase price. Credit can be used to purchase licenses for any of the company's 150 software products. www.bentley.com

• Who says video games can't be educational? Looking to spice up the typical continuing education program, Valley Forge, Pa.-based CertainTeed has launched a series of CE classes that utilize video game technology to simulate the built environment. The series, entitled “Construction Scene Investigation,” challenges players to investigate and solve a mold problem. Using lessons learned earlier in the courses, players navigate a dynamic cutaway of a building to find the source of unchecked and persistent moisture, then recommend design changes to prevent mold growth. The simulation was created by CS Learning Solutions, a New York-based developer of CE products and services. www.cyberstaff.com/learningsolutions.html

• New version of BIM software for structural engineers. Last month, Autodesk, San Rafael, Calif., released the fourth version of its building information modeling software designed exclusively for structural engineers, Revit Structure 4. New features include modeling enhancements for trusses and beams; the addition of precast concrete, castellated beams, and cellular steel framing; advanced analytical tools for modeling a structure's boundary conditions without requiring users to model its supports; and improvements in reinforced concrete modeling and documentation. http://www.autodesk.com/

The San Bernardino (Calif.) Valley Community College Kinesiology and Athletics Center, designed by HMC Architects. The three-story, 108,509-sf, $69 million facility has two NCAA competition gymasiums. Photo: David Fennema, HMC Architects.